Selectable video switcher sources

[Mike]

Because not every potential source needs to be available through the video switcher, I am planning to change the way the video switcher picks its sources. Discuss here.

[Sinc747]

So the video switcher could be customized to just the sources we want? Cool.

[Rinkfink]

Kind of like a hidden aux. bus...
Excellent idea! Less clutter better functionality.

[Monoscopio]

Love it! Have the sources in the rightclick menu so you can check/uncheck them.

[Johan Lundberg]

Very good! What about if you could even change the order of the added sources in the switcher as well? Would be a really nice feature. :)

[QuinnQuality]

Go for it

[Mike]

Greg, why the hidden aux bus reference? Oh, I think I see. If we are going to be able to program what each channel controls, why not making everything selectable hence it can do what the aux bus would have been able to do, hence your remark. Right? Interesting. That would basically mean the concept of preview, program and aux bus would disappear and you would have a fully programmable video switcher? Mmm..

[weconverse]

+1 on rightclick selectable sources
+1 on changing the order of the sources
adding perhaps an individual setting for each source specifying it's display time for autoswitch

[chackl]

Selectable display times would also be very nice

+1 on sources
+1 on s. times

[zenvideo]

Greg, why the hidden aux bus reference? Oh, I think I see. If we are going to be able to program what each channel controls, why not making everything selectable hence it can do what the aux bus would have been able to do, hence your remark. Right? Interesting. That would basically mean the concept of preview, program and aux bus would disappear and you would have a fully programmable video switcher? Mmm..

Sorry, I'm having a bit of difficulty in envisaging how this new concept would replace the functionality (and appearance) of a multi-bus switcher which includes preview, program and aux busses? Can someone either draw or describe an example of how it might work?

[weconverse]

Martin, I took off from Mike's initial "Because not every potential source needs to be available through the video switcher". In other words, the feature at least I discuss is a supplement (motivated by limited screen and launchpad estate) NOT a replacement.

[jonesdeere]

I can see modifying the current video output module (or creating a new video output module 2, like the camera2 module) where it would automatically create a new line of buttons in the switcher for each video output module. This would allow the operator to easily change output sources. You could make this an option where the operator could select an either a fixed output source (like the current video output module where it a selectable via a drop down list) or a new line in the video switcher module. This would make the modified video output module (or newly created video output 2 module) equivalent to an auxiliary bus. It is currently equivalent to aux bus except that it does not have ability to use transitions when changing sources and it is not as simple to operate as the current user interface (with either the cut and transition buttons on the home and pro versions or the video mixer module on the studio and broadcast versions).
I could also see creating a control panel (where the operator would configure all of the input settings) and a live panel (which would be used by the operator during a live presentation or webcast). This would help eliminate operator error during a live event (similar to how launching a PowerPoint presentation eliminates the ability to edit a slide).
The live panel would include the following: the preview and program modules, the video mixer module, the audio module, the streamer module (with start and stop only controls only), the recorder module (with record, stop, and save controls only), and player & video effect modules (complete). I would include the video thumbnails of the input sources as the button labels on the customizable video mixer and would not show the camera modules at all on the live panel. All of the other modules could be shown in their current form on the live panel.
The current video out modules, in my opinion, are equivalent to the auxiliary busses that many people, including me, have requested. They aren't as easy to use because of their user interface, but they serve the desired functionality since they allow the operator to send a customizable video mix to an external device. Mike, Thanks for being so involved with the customers that use your products. I know that I probably got off the original topic, but I thought it related directly to the topic of this thread. If you have any questions, pm me and we can Skype to discuss my ideas.
Thanks,

Steven Jones

[PeterHazenberg]

+1

This way I could remove the firtst button ("black") that (although available to all professional vision mixers) is never used anymore...

For does of you that wonder where this "black" button came from... In the old days glitch-fee switching wasn't at all available to all vision mixer. By "switching over black" this was 'solved', so before switching to the next input, one switches to black first. As far as I know this also became a "style" used in the US long after I noticed it wasn't used in Europe anymore...